Page 44 of Anti-Hero (Kensingtons: The Next Generation #2)

Kit: New Year’s Eve party is in the Hamptons this year.

Flynn: What?

Flynn: I thought we were going to Aspen for New Year’s. Like we do EVERY year.

Kit: Not this year.

Flynn: It’s gonna be cold in the Hamptons.

Kit: And Aspen’s a sauna?

Flynn: I can’t snowboard or hot tub in the Hamptons.

Kit: You can go to my party.

“ T his party is awesome!” Flynn shouts, adjusting the golden top hat he’s wearing.

Flynn has rapidly rallied from his disappointment over this year’s change in venue.

Everyone else seems to be having fun too.

The music is blaring, the alcohol is flowing, and countless balloons filled with gold glitter decorate the living room of my parents’ Hamptons house.

Hundreds of people pack the space. Some friends, some former classmates, some total strangers.

No sign of the reason I moved my annual party two thousand miles.

I wanted to spend New Year’s Eve with Collins. And I didn’t think she’d be willing to travel all the way to Colorado. She’s been in New Haven for the past week, spending Christmas with her family. It’s possible she decided to stay in Connecticut longer. Or simply decided not to come tonight.

I check my phone for the tenth time in as many minutes.

We haven’t texted since I sent her Mango on Sunday.

I thought Collins leaving Kensington Consolidated was going to bring us closer together.

Remove a boundary. Instead, it feels like we’ve drifted further apart.

Like there’s a new vagueness to our interactions now that we’re no longer required to spend forty-plus hours a week in the same space.

She’s supposed to move into my penthouse in a matter of days, and we’ve only discussed the most basic of details about becoming roommates.

Even during the anatomy scan last week, she felt distant.

She didn’t lean on me the way she did during the first ultrasound.

I should have felt relieved she was more confident. Instead, I was disappointed.

“Here. You look like you could use this.” Flynn shoves a shot my way, and I don’t even check what type of liquor it is before sucking it down.

Vodka, it turns out.

“You having trouble deciding?” Flynn shouts, gesturing toward the crowd of scantily dressed women dancing in my living room. “Because that’s my dilemma right now. They’re all so hot.”

“Too many hot women,” a female voice says dryly. “What a complicated life you lead, Parks.”

Flynn rolls his eyes as he grabs another shot. “I hope you invited your fun cousin too, Kit.”

I elbow him in the ribs before hugging Rory. I’m surprised she came with Wren, but I don’t mention that in front of Flynn. I’m too distracted by Collins’s absence to play referee.

“How were the Bahamas?” I ask, remembering she just got back from a trip there with college friends.

“Amazing,” Rory gushes. “I missed the sun. And it was really nice to get away and take a break from studying.”

To my left, Flynn snorts.

I elbow him again before asking, “You hear anything yet?”

“Not yet,” she says, managing a nervous smile. “They start sending decisions at the beginning of January, so …”

“You’ll get in,” I tell her, and that’s not even me being reassuring.

Rory’s brilliant. And for as long as I can remember, she’s been intent on becoming an attorney. She would try to talk Lili, Bash, Wren, and me into playing courtroom when we were younger. I was usually the accused. Lili was always the arresting officer.

“Thanks, Kit.”

“Harvard will be lucky to have you,” I add.

“You applied to Harvard Law?” Flynn interrupts rudely .

“I’m going to Harvard Law,” Rory replies with the trademark Kensington confidence.

There’s no sign of Flynn’s normal nonchalance as he responds, “I’ll see you in Boston, then.”

I lift an eyebrow, but keep my mouth shut and stay out of it.

Last I knew, Flynn only applied to gain access to his trust fund. He’s never mentioned actually wanting to go to law school, and I was pretty sure he was working up to tell his dad to fuck off and stop pulling strings.

“Where’s Wren?” I question, cutting through the tension in the air.

“Yeah. Where is Wren?” Flynn mutters.

Rory scowls at him before focusing on me. “I don’t know.”

I frown, not expecting that answer. I’ve never heard Rory say I don’t know . “What do you mean?”

“I mean, I don’t know where Wren is.” Rory enunciates each word, then reaches past me to grab a flute of champagne off a tray being circulated by one of the servers. “She disappeared as soon as we arrived.”

I survey her calm expression. “Shouldn’t we be … concerned about that?”

Rory sips her champagne. “You haven’t noticed Wren is rarely around whenever we’re in the Hamptons?”

“Uh … not really.” Now that she’s bringing it up, I guess I don’t remember Wren being around much last summer. I think she also got grounded for sneaking out a couple of times. “Does that mean you do know where she is?”

Rory sighs. “She’s probably at the marina.”

The marina?

“It’s December. The marina closed months ago.” I point out the obvious.

“Uh-huh,” Rory agrees. “I’m gonna go grab some food. I’ll see you later, Kit.” Pointedly, she ignores Flynn as she brushes by him and heads toward the buffet set up across the room.

“Why didn’t you tell me Rory was applying to Harvard Law?” he asks as soon as she’s out of earshot.

“Why would I?” I reply absently, busy typing out a text to Wren.

Kit: Hey, everything okay? I just saw Rory, and she said she wasn’t sure where you had gone.

Wren replies instantly.

Wren: All good.

Wren: I’ll be home by curfew, DAD.

I roll my eyes and slip my phone back into my pocket. Out of the five of us, Wren and I were always the main troublemakers. Least likely to play the part of responsible adult. I’m not a teenager anymore though. Wren is.

“Everything good?” Flynn asks.

“Yeah. Fine.”

“Something else bugging you? You still weirded out about your grandfather’s visit?”

I reach for another shot. “A little.”

Flynn’s the only one I’ve told about Arthur’s unexpected appearance at the office.

When I suggested he stop by the office back in September, it never occurred to me that he would .

And it was awkward, and he made some of his usual judgmental comments, but he’d shown up.

He had come all the way to the office just to see me.

And it was nice, showing him around my office.

Flynn claps me on the back. “Don’t overthink it. He’ll reset to his usual grumpiness pretty soon. Every now and then, my dad decides to act like a dad, but it passes fast.”

I muster a smile. “I’m going to do the rounds.”

“Have fun.”

After a trip around the first floor reveals no sign of Collins, I decide to head outside for some fresh air.

It’s cold and salty, each inhale burning my lungs.

The pool is covered, and the patio furniture is stored for the winter.

My steps echo on the pavers, the only other sound the distant roar of the ocean.

I take a seat on the stone wall, wishing I’d thought to bring a drink or a jacket out here.

Rhythmic clacking announces someone else’s arrival. Hope balloons in my chest, even though I know it’s probably pointless.

Sure enough, it’s not Collins’s voice that asks, “Got a light?”

Hope deflates as I glance over my shoulder at the woman approaching. It takes me a minute to place her. “Camila, right?”

“Cammie,” she corrects, taking a seat on the wall next to me. “Good memory.”

“Flynn’s inside.”

Cammie lets out a husky laugh. “Oh, I didn’t come for Flynn.” She glances at the house. “Always wanted to see the inside of one of these places.”

“You’re a local, right?”

That’s basically all I know about Flynn’s summer fling, aside from where she worked. Or works—I don’t know if she’s at the hotel year-round. She looks younger, so she might be in college.

“Born and raised,” Cammie confirms, then holds up an unlit cigarette. “Lighter?”

“Don’t have one.”

She sighs, then tucks the cigarette away.

We sit on the stone wall in silence, which is nice. And strange. Cammie has a down jacket on, but it’s been patched in several places. I’m not sure how warm it is.

She pulls her phone out of her pocket, glances at the screen, and mutters something under her breath that gets lost in a gust of bone-chilling wind. “I’ve gotta go,” she states.

“Yeah, I should head in before hypothermia hits.” I glance at the house.

Glass sliders separate the kitchen from the patio. At night, the lights inside make them look like a massive picture frame. I survey the party, doing a double take when I glimpse a shade of distinctive hair through the glass.

I stand, in an immediate rush.

I have to force myself to focus on Cammie for a minute. “Do you need me to call you a ride or anything?”

“Nah, I’m good. I drove, and the marina’s not far. Thanks.”

I frown. What the hell is happening at the marina?

If Collins wasn’t here, I’d ask. But I’m too impatient to get inside. So, I just nod and beeline for the closest door after saying goodbye to Cammie.

The heat and commotion inside the house are a shocking contrast to the freezing quiet outside. I push through the crowd, scanning the room as quickly as possible, finally spotting Collins standing under the dining room chandelier, talking to Indy and her fiancé, Tony.

Collins looks stunning. Her auburn hair is curled, falling in loose waves over her shoulders. She’s wearing a short, sparkly dress with a flared fit that conceals her baby bump.

I stall in place for a few seconds, watching them converse, wondering if I imagined Collins by the doors.

Someone jostles into me from behind. “Sorry, man!”

I wave a hand in acknowledgment, then continue walking, passing through the living room and into the dining room.

The party planner, Lucy, had most of the furniture cleared from the first floor, including the massive table that’s usually centered in here.

A champagne tower has taken its place tonight.

Indy spots me first, waving as I approach. “Kit! Hey! Awesome party!”

“Thanks, Indy,” I reply, holding a hand out to greet Tony once I’m close enough. “Nice to finally meet you, man.”

“Likewise,” he responds, grinning. “Thanks for inviting us.”

“No problem.” I glance at Collins, who’s sipping what looks like sparkling water from a flute.

It feels like déjà vu. Like the last time we were in the Hamptons together.

“Collins was just telling us about her new job,” Indy informs me, then glances at Collins. “I was bummed to hear you were leaving, but it sounds like a great opportunity.” Her attention returns to me. “Have you lined up a replacement, Kit?”

“Not yet,” I mutter, the feeling of déjà vu increasing when Collins swallows and still doesn’t meet my gaze.

She’s talking to one of the waiters now, asking him about the appetizers on his tray.

Indy glances between me and Collins, a knowing look flashing across her face before she looks at her fiancé. “We haven’t made it to the buffet yet, and I should probably have more than champagne for dinner if I’m going to make it to midnight. Nice talking to you, Collins. See you later, Kit. ”

Tony echoes Indy’s goodbyes before they move into the living room.

Collins is staring at the champagne tower.

She saw me outside.

I clear my throat. “Hey.”

I can hardly hear her answering, “Hey,” over the loud music.

“Wasn’t sure you were going to make it.”

“Traffic was bad. Don’t let me keep you from outside.”

I sigh. “Collins …”

“Don’t worry about it, Kit.” She glances around the dining room. “I forgot how huge this place is. Lucy did a great job decorating.”

I take a step closer, erasing the polite distance between us. “I am fucking worried about it. I don’t want you to think—I just went outside for some fresh air. She—I barely know her. I don’t know her. She dated Flynn. Well, not really dated.”

“People are staring.”

I don’t move. Or look around to confirm. “So?”

“Is Indy the only other person you invited from the company?”

“No,” I admit. Levi and a few other guys I’ve been on teams with are around here somewhere. “You don’t work for me anymore, Collins.”

“I know,” she says, glancing around like she’s cataloging everyone who’s seeing us together.

My irritation grows. “Did you mean it? What you said in New Haven?”

Right now, it feels like she doesn’t want to be seen in the same room as me, let alone date me.

“You want to have this conversation in the middle of your party?” she asks incredulously, which isn’t the yes I was hoping for.

“You’ve been avoiding me, so I’m not sure where else to have it.”

Collins bites her bottom lip. “I’ve just been?—”

“Hey! Here you are.” Flynn picks the worst possible moment to appear, slinging one arm around my neck and straightening his ridiculous hat with the other. He squints at Collins. “Hey, Collins.”

“Hi, Flynn,” she replies, a smile fracturing her serious expression. “Nice to see you. And if you’ll excuse me, I need to find the bathroom.”

Flynn glances at me as soon as Collins is out of earshot. “You invited your assistant?”

My jaw works. “She’s not my assistant anymore.”

“What? Why not? Since when?”

I pretend not to hear his questions as I watch Collins weave through the crowd. “You were looking for me?”

“Oh, yeah. Head caterer needs to talk to you.”

I nod, then head toward the kitchen.